Going with the Flow- This week in wood 12
So I have been doing a lot of reading about shop set-ups. I know you may ask “Why is he reading so much about that”. Well it may come as a shock to all of you that I am setting up a shop now. OK enough with the sarcasm.You can guess the topic of this exciting episode.
April 3rd, 2008 at 4:45 pm
A video would be nice, sain in a “loving” way
April 4th, 2008 at 7:22 am
Hi Kaleo,
I had my router table integrated into my table saw extension wing for several years, and I’ve got to tell ya… I did not like it at all. The problem is that I like to move back and forth between tools quickly without breaking down my setups. If I have my table saw set up for a particular operation that I am going to need to repeat several times, I don’t want to have to break down that set up to use my router table. No matter where you position the router, at some point you will run into this problem. It will probably affect you even more since you plan to do limited production runs. I recommend a standalone router table.
A freezer full of beef in the shop?!?!?! You can barbecue and woodwork at the same time.
Dave
April 4th, 2008 at 7:28 am
Dave-
Great point, I am so glad that you mentioned that. My thought was that I already have a flat surface, why not add a router table to it. But having to breakdown the fence and guides every time might suck. OK it might suck a lot..
April 4th, 2008 at 5:10 pm
Hi Kaleo,
I’ve got my router table built into my Unisaw’s extension. If I had the space, I’d probably go for a standalone router table. That said, I haven’t had a problem with sharing functions and having to tear setups down. Yet. I guess I tend to batch process my work so I’m (ideally) only working on one operation at a time. The added bonus of this setup is that I get to use the table saw fence as my router table fence. All I did was make an auxillary fence that clamps onto the table saw fence (check out the fence clamps that Rockler is selling for $15… awesome).
As far as router are concerned… I didn’t want to drop extra money on a lift so I went with the Triton router. It’s got the lift built into it. I use it on a JessEm router plate. It’s really a great router, but be aware.. the one with the lift is 2 1/4 hp. If you want something with more power, you’ll either have to wait until Triton incorporates the lift into the big 3 hp router or go with a lift/router combo.
As far as bandsaws are concerned… I shopped and researched for about a year. I wanted big resaw capacity but couldn’t afford a big footprint (small shop). That narrowed it down to just a few. In the end I was between the Laguna 14SE and the Rikon 14″ Deluxe. I went with the Rikon and couldn’t be happier. It can’t be beat for the price and the build quality is astonishingly good with lot’s of thoughtful design features. I got my chance to use the Laguna a couple of weeks ago and I’m glad I didn’t spend twice the money for that one.
And jointers… again, I’ve got a small shop. But I wanted to be able to joint wide boards. So I found myself a used Inca combo jointer/planer. They’re not made any longer but they are truly excellent machines that were Swiss made. Although its a combo machine, I use it as a jointer only (I use a lunchbox type planer… Makita). It has a 10 1/4″ knife so I can joint just about any board I can get at the yard. They come up on Craigslist and Ebay often and are worth a good look. If I was doing it again, I’d take a good hard look at the combo Jointer/Planer that Grizzly is making. It’s similar to the MiniMax but is less than 2 grand. I put my hands on one recently and was impressed. I think it has a 12″ capacity.
Good luck.
April 5th, 2008 at 8:55 am
OK Kaleo, my two cents. For your purposes, I agree with Dave. A dedicated router station is the way to go. I have the Benchdog router lift (LOVE IT!) While I have the 7518 PC mounted in it and have been happy, Marc Spags has had problems with the variable speed on that model(a heads up). Currently I have an old AMT bandsaw (which I will keep), but I plan to purchase the same model Kenny did (Rikon’s 14″ Deluxe has a rip capacity of 12 or 13 inches). Finally, because, like you I do everything out of pocket, I plan on getting Grizzly’s http://www.grizzlyimports.com/products/12-Jointer-w-Spiral-Cutterhead/G0609X or http://www.grizzlyimports.com/products/The-Ultimate-12-Jointer/G9860 . I haven’t yet made up my mind. I believe their quality has come up to the rest in the field and their prices are much, much better.
Although I’m still tweaking the design, you can check out my rough layout here–>http://www.flickr.com/photos/stonyhollowwoodworks/2148945338/ .
Off to play in the shop. Later Kaleo!
April 6th, 2008 at 10:33 am
I have my router table in my table saw and a small router table that I can take to a job site. I think you have to look at how much the two will interfere with each other, I cut a lot plywood and other large sheet goods so it alway seem to interfere. Now when I worked with hardwoods it didn’t seem to bother me. I had my joiner on the left side of the saw where I could join then cut, route cut and repeat as needed. I also have a large out feed table that was 7′ x 7′ with a torsion box top that I use for a work bench and have a shorter roll out assembly table that rolls under it for shortage. the outfeed table helps alot if I have a lot of molding to run. hope this help some, good luck and keep up the good work
Joey
April 9th, 2008 at 2:02 am
Hey Kaleo,
Regarding the comment on work flow, my shop is slightly smaller than yours (440ish sq ft), but is from a 2 car garage like yours. I’ve found that space, and the ability to create more space (rolling bases on machines) has been crucial. My table saw is stationary, but everything else moves. Most things I only move to get them out of the way, but my bandsaw (when I’m doing larger resawing tasks), my jointer, and most especially my planer are always being moved into open space simply to accomodate board lengths. Another feature of the planer moving is the ability to plane really long boards by starting them and rolling the planer along as the stock is passing through it.
Another point I’ve had to work hard to overcome is dust creeping into the house. Make sure everything seals well between the shop and house, and don’t go cheap on dust collecton and air filtration. Also I have read about having a small fan which constantly vents the air out of the shop. This creates a low pressure area in the shop so that when a door into the house is opened air moves into the shop rather than out of the shop. Although if your garage doors don’t seal well, this wouldn’t work.
Anyways, I hope this’ll be helpfull! I’m looking forward to seeing your shop progress!